Speechless
by SpobyPLL
Summary: He's a traitor and an outcast; an Avox. She's the mayor's daughter. Their relationship, in District 8, is filled with heartbreak and struggles. His past continues to haunt him, and their future seems even more bleak.
1. Prologue

You asked me for my story. It's dark, I'll promise you that. There's a reason they made me an Avox. I'm a traitor. I've betrayed my own country, and challenged its ways. They made me speechless not only to punish me but to make sure my ideas could not be heard. They were scared, you see, that if I made my thoughts heard it could cause others to adopt them as well. They were afraid they would have a whole uprising on their hands. So they shut me up. Sent me to a district far from my own.


	2. Chapter 1

My father is conducting his morning business as we sit at the table. People come to him, left and right,

asking for his opinion, asking for his advice. He answers them with little enthusiasm; he shrugs them off

like they are pesky flies swarming around him. "Mayor Broderie, Mayor Broderie" they buzz. He hardly

looks up from his papers as he sips from his mug. My mother sits across from him, her expression

vacant. She looks tired and weary. She hardly eats a thing. She's become so distant lately. She hardly

speaks to me or to anyone, only staring at my father with blank expressions. Some days I've walked

past her room, only to find her curled up in her bed, eyes entranced by the blank wall in front of her.

I direct my eyes from her now as someone reaches over me to grab my cup, filling it carefully. I glance

up, and am surprised to see a new face. This face belongs to a young man, with icy blue eyes and an

expression within them that I can't place. His dark hair waves over his forehead, tempting to cover

those eyes. He moves to my father now, filling his cup then moving to the far side of the room waiting

to be summoned.

I divert my eyes away from him and look around the room for our other servants. Finding no one, I

consider that my father must have received a new servant, considering I haven't seen the old hag in

days, he must be her replacement. I'm relieved. She was old, slow, and always spilt my drink as she

poured it.

Realizing that thinking of our Avoxes is no real concern to me I move my thoughts towards the

homework assignments I have due today and how I wish I had actually done them.

Wiping my mouth with my napkin I stand up and kiss my father on the cheek before walking out the

door. My eyes never failed though, to catch those of the Avox as he waits near the door.


	3. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer still stands. **

**So this chapter sort of sucks, I know. It gets so much better I can promise you that. Keep reading. **

**Move on to the next chapters. It will be worth it.**

* * *

District 8 is a terrible place to live. I say this because having lived here my whole life I have never felt

any pride in it, never felt any joy by walking it's asphalt streets or circling its tattered square. The

streets, lined with large industrial factories and warehouses, are hardly walked upon in the daylight. I

only pass a few gray faces as I walk along them towards my school. The constant smoke that covers

our district contributes to the ever gray tone that lies here. Gray homes, lined behind the factories,

match each other both in color and gloominess. I've never strayed too close to them. My father always

told me it was unsafe. So I walk along the edge of the Justice Building until I reach the square.

The atmosphere in the square has changed these past few days, as they do at this time every year.

Colorful banners encircle the square, trying to distract from the bleakness that surrounds them.

In two weeks time, the people of District 8 will emerge from the dark factories to crowd into the square.

It's the time of the Reaping. I will have to line up with all the girls my age who openly despise me and

wait to see which of us will be chosen to enter into the Hunger Games.

I try to fit in at school. I try to blend in, to look and act like all the kids who spend most of their days

hunched over sewing machines, inside a dark factory. But they won't allow it. They all despise me, even

loathe me. They seem to think that because my father is the mayor I have privileges superior to theirs.

Maybe that's true. I'm not sure. But they treat me as an outcast, purposely ignoring me or passing

glares when they know I'm looking.

One person stands out among the crowd though. She actually looks past my status as the mayor's

daughter and the privileges I seem to hold and is my friend. We walk together now as our teachers

usher us out for the day's end. We walk along the asphalt streets towards a dull gray factory where

she must work for the rest of the day and throughout the night like most other citizens of District

8.

Though I know I am lucky to live the more eased life that I have been given in this kind of world, I envy

them. I envy those people who work in the factories and warehouses until dawn. They are doing

something important it seems. They're working; creating. I sit home, meeting district representatives

and Capital snobs. I just go through the motions with little feeling. It's the same routine everyday, and

I'm tired of it. What I don't really understand is why they should receive less than me? Why should I be

given a comfortable home and nice clothing? What makes me so important?

I haven't seen what it's like for them first hand, no matter how desperately I want to. I want to see

how the people of my district live and work. "Taylor?" My friend's voice snaps me out of my thinking and

I turn to look at her. "You okay?" She looks at me curiously, like I have a written disease across my

face.

"I'm fine. Really." She doesn't look convinced but turns to the dull factory behind us.

"You'll tell me tomorrow then?" she questions as I begin walking towards the Justice Building.

I turn and nod slowly. "See you, Lace."

I make my decision then. Tomorrow, I will see how my District runs. First hand, without my father's

knowledge or consent. I will not continue in this ignorance.


	4. Chapter 3

As I step outside, I inhale the ever-present smoke that envelops our whole District. I resist the urge to

gag and cough and move quickly across the dark ground. I cover my dark hood over my light hair, and

move into a tight alley, placed between two warehouses. I turn my head slightly, towards my home, to

see if anyone has followed me, without breaking a stride. I see a metal door at the end of the alley,

slightly open. This might be my chance. I can sneak in and see for myself how the people in my district

live, rather than only hearing what my father complains about. I'm halfway to the door when I hear a

soft scraping sound of metal behind be and I turn quickly. Seeing nothing but the dark night, I take a

deep breath, closing my eyes for a moment, before moving forwards again. I'm more cautious about the

sound of my own footsteps now, moving lightly to not be heard.

Reaching the metal door, I feel its icy touch through my gloved finger tips before ducking inside. Inside

it's even colder and small shudder escapes my body. I've entered a large, spacious room, filled to the

top with boxes of materials. Without a light, I can hardly see my hands in front of me, or even

comprehend how high the ceiling reaches in this large room. I move carefully around rows of boxes,

feeling my way through this maze. I can see a dim light across the room, which seems to be coming

from another room. It's almost completely silent except for a slight hum which sounds as if it's coming

from the other side of that door. I wonder if that's where the workers are, if they are in their sewing or

preparing the fabrics.

I am so filled with curiosity at the idea that I might see what lies beyond that door that I fail to

recognize the soft footsteps that move towards me until they are directly behind me. Gloved hands

grab my shoulders from behind, and I resist the urge to scream. I freeze in place but the hands quickly

turn me around. The darkness is so great that I cannot see who is directly in front of me, but I know

they are only inches from my face. In this cramped row between piles and piles of boxes I have no

where to run, if I could escape the strong hands that will not release me.

My heart is pounding, and my body is tense. I struggle to move but feel no budge. "Who are you?" I say

in a harsh whisper. I can hear the slow breathing of my captor but hear no reply. I still cannot make out

his face, even though it is so close to mine. He begins to pull me back through the rows of boxes, back

towards the door that I entered from. He is pulling me quickly, but cautiously, aware that if one box

were to be pushed out-of-place, the rest could come crashing down, and I would be caught.

As he pulls me through the open door, the light of the moon allows me to see his face more clearly. As I

do, I take in a sharp breath. "You?" I say shocked. Inches away from my face, is my Avox. His icy blue

eyes pierce mine and it seems like he is frustrated by me; angry with me. His harsh scowl offends me.

How can he, my servant, treat me in this way? He has followed me, and then practically abducted me.

Treason like this could have him killed in an instant if I reported it. But realization hits me and I know

that if I were to tell my father about him finding me, I could have the same punishment enforced on

myself.

He has let go of me and has moved several feet away but I do not move. What if he were to tell my

father, or rather write to my father, of this event? He's probably planning exactly what to write as he

stands here looking at my with those piercing eyes. Should I beg? threaten?

"Please," I begin, without looking at him. "Please, do not let my father know about this. Or anyone." I

glance up at him and he stares back at me. "If he knew, he would disown me or have me killed. He can't

know. I only..." I stop. Why should I tell him? He would only think I was a fool. A girl with practically

everything I desired, in his eyes, living the privileged life, but wishing for something more. Gosh, I can

imagine how it would sound and I wonder why I even came out here in the first place. What was I

planning to accomplish? Even if I saw how my people live, it wouldn't change the fact that they all

despise me. "Never mind. Ok? Just, please don't tell him. It would ruin us both, understand?"

He raises an eyebrow and then begins walking back through the alley, towards the house. Was that his

answer? A no? I want to scream with frustration. But my fear moves me forward. He's moving quickly

but I reach his arm. He brushes it off and keeps moving. I move in front of him, blocking him, and he

stops, folding his arms. He's looking at me in almost boredom, like there isn't possibly anything I can

say that will stop him from telling my father.

I clench my teeth tight together, deciding what to say. "You know what? Fine. Tell him. But just know

that if I go down, you're going down with me." I glare at him before turning forward and moving

towards the house myself.


End file.
